The Doppelganger
by candybot
Summary: One week was all it took for him to realize there was something very wrong. Just one week.
1. Prologue

A/N: After an excruciating amount of writer's block, I've managed to squeeze out this small blurb. School will be done in about a month but darn those AP classes! You would think there'd be nothing to do after the AP test but... Anyways, about this: I'm still learning about Psychology so my analysis may be incorrect but please bear with me. Furthermore, I always have to apologize for butchering any characterization; I love Price of Tennis to death but yeah, its definitely been awhile. Just a warning: this will probably be very trippy and confusing at times but I hope you enjoy. (:

* * *

**Prologue**

In the late summer afternoon, the sound of cicadas chirping wafted through the city. Marui Bunta made his way down the tight, narrow street and the sweltering heat made him wince in annoyance. The bubble-gum-chewing genius always disliked summer. Practice all too often ran late into the afternoon and it was at that time when the heat was the worst.

Marui hated the heat; it was constricting.

Marui swung his duffle bag over his shoulder. It was hot and stuck to his clothes but it was the easiest way to carry his bag. Today's practice had made him especially tired: both Niou and Yagyuu had constantly tormented the red-head. He lamented the fact that he was on the same team as the trickster duo. Sure, he would never have to face them in an official tournament but practicing with them was more than enough.

One was more than enough.


	2. Day One

A/N: I realized the prologue was super short but was surprised to find there were already some reviews. I humbly thank you for bearing with such a short introduction. I promise the story will begin to progress further but if only those muses start working. Unfortunately, everything depends on time and inspiration. Hopefully, I can churn out another chapter or two. Please, enjoy.

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Day One

'Where's Yagyuu?' A voice called out to the bubble-gum lover.

Marui shrugged in response.

Once in awhile the gentleman would get sick but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The gentleman had some off days, too.

'He's probably sick,' someone said.

Truthfully, Marui did not know much about the gentleman. He mostly kept to himself; Yagyuu was always the composed one. Out of all his teammates, including the demon trio, Marui always found Yagyuu the hardest to read. The red-head got along well enough with the gentleman, but it was out of polite courtesy. The bubblegum-lover found he had a closer relationship to Niou than Yagyuu; the trickster was more easy-going in comparison to his seemingly stoic partner.

'Speak of the devil…' The red-head muttered under his breath.

Niou Masaharu made his way into the classroom – his signature devious grin plastered upon his face.

'Hey, Marui-chan…" He remarked slowly, as he draped his arm around the red-head's shoulders.

'The way you draw out your words make you sound drunk.' The red-head replied. He felt satisfied at his own comment.

The trickster merely smirked at his friend's statement.

'At least I'm not fat.' He retorted.

A flabbergasted look found its way onto Marui's face.

'I'm not fat!' He responded, obviously offended, 'This. Is. Muscle.'

The red-head pointed to his abs and was once again, proud of his rebuttal.

"Mhmm. Hmm.' The trickster replied as he waltzed over to his own seat.

Marui was once again, flabbergasted. He believed it was Niou's daily mission to comment on the bubblegum-lover's strange eating habits. Sure, he could afford to lose some pounds but there was no physical indication of his dietary mannerisms being a hinder to his tennis performance. He was just average and he felt fine at that.

Besides, he was sure there were some girls who liked men with a little meat on their skin.

'Hey Niou, did you lose some weight?' A voice asked.

A sly smile found its way onto the trickster's countenance again, 'Of course. Because, you know, girls like guys who are fit.'

He gave a wink to his red-headed teammate and Marui found himself boiling with anger. He had a closer relationship to the trickster but that didn't mean he had to like every aspect about him. Marui especially disliked being teased. The red-head was already eighteen; He didn't appreciate the childish tone the trickster adopted when speaking of or to the bubblegum-lover.

Marui spent a good amount of time during the lecture shooting glares at his teammate and twiddling his pen between his fingers. Somehow, today's lesson seemed especially boring; Marui found it difficult to stay awake. His head bobbed up and down in a rhythmic motion as he drifted in and out of sleepiness. Then, the red-head realized it took more effort to stay awake and became intoxicated with the drowsiness of sleep.

His head hit the desk and Marui felt himself drift off into the land of dreams. He knew it was a bad idea but he was engrossed in the comfort of sleep. He knew he had to wake up but it was so comforting.

'I need to wake up.' He thought to himself.

The red head struggled to wake up, but his body felt heavy and sluggish. The comforting call of sleep only made things worse, only made his body feel even heavier. With each bout of resistance, Marui discovered the increasing lack of control he had over his own body. He began to breathe faster, faster, and faster. His heart was pounding wildly and his mind went blank. This didn't feel like a nice nap anymore.

It was constricting.

It was suffocating.

A hand slammed onto the surface of Marui's desk and the red-head's leg jerked up in response.

'Are you up, sunshine?' A familiar voice asked.

Marui rubbed his eyes to dispel the feelings of disorientation.

He responded with a disgruntled mumble. His head was spinning and he felt somewhat angered and grateful that he was awakened from his slumber.

Niou smiled, 'Leave it to our favorite genius to fall asleep ten minutes into lecture.'

Marui glared with annoyance at his teammate; surely, it was the trickster's life purpose to annoy the hell out of the red-head. His comments felt worse to the red-head because Yagyuu wasn't there to alleviate the tension.

It wasn't just the lecture but the quiet summer afternoon had made Marui very tired. He didn't want to succumb to the lure of sleep but it was overpowering. He scrunched up his nose in disgust and rubbed his face, all in an attempt to stay awake.

By the end of the day, Marui had found he had spent more time devising ways to keep himself awake than listening to the lectures. He had pinched his face, pinched his arms and thighs, bit his tongue and slapped his forehead a couple of times but to no avail. His head hit the desk out of exhaustion and frustration. Today's lecture was exceptionally important: Marui's grades were on the line and he didn't exactly score too well on the last test. He mumbled nonsense into his desk.

'Come on, sunshine,' Niou said, as he grabbed the red-head's free arm that dangled off the edge of the desk, 'Let's get to practice.'

Niou dragged a reluctant Marui off towards the tennis courts. They entered the locker room and made their way to their respective lockers. Marui began changing when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

'Where's Yagyuu-senpai?' Kirihara, the youngest member of the regulars, asked.

Marui mumbled an 'I don't know' under his breath as he scrambled to get his shirt off his head. Marui heard the trickster chuckle from behind him.

'Maybe you should lose some weight, Marui. Then, it'll be easier to get that shirt off your head.' The trickster roared with laughter.

Kirihara could barely stifle his laughter. The red-head managed to free his arms from underneath his shirt. He grabbed his tennis polo and was about to put it on when the door to the locker room swung open, bringing in a cool wind. Marui felt a shiver run down his spine.

In stepped Sanada, the vice-captain of the tennis team. His stoic features belied the look of anger in his eyes. The red-head was half-way through putting on his shirt when he felt a jolt of fear.

'Marui…' He heard the vice-captain say through clenched teeth.

'Um…Yes, vice-captain?'

The bubble-gum lover never liked interacting with Sanada. Whenever they spoke, it was always because Marui had either screwed up in practice or was late in getting to practice. The red-head, along with Kirihara, received the brunt of Sanada's wrath.

'You…' He saw the vice-captain wave a small slip of paper, '…are facing probation because of your poor grades.'

Marui flinched with fear.

'I want fifty laps on the double,' The vice-captain barked, '…and don't bother coming to practice until you bring these sorry grades up.'

With that, Sanada tossed the slip of paper towards Marui and left the locker room, slamming the door behind him. The small yellow slip of paper drifted slowly to the floor.

Marui knocked his head against his locker door and let out a frustrated groan. He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. Today was just not his day.

'Wow, Marui-senpai…' He heard the youngest move to pick up the yellow slip of paper, 'I didn't know your grades were that bad.'

Marui grumbled in response. The red-head changed, albeit begrudgingly, into his tennis garb and closed his locker door. In one swift motion, he snatched the yellow paper out of Kirihara's hands and stomped out of the locker room. He jogged towards the courts, the sound of laughter drifting farther and farther away.

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A/N: Sorry, Marui. -hugs-


	3. Day Two

A/N: Aha! So I did manage to churn out another chapter. Hopefully, this one is better than the last. During third period today I scribbled the outline for 'The Doppleganger' madly into my notebook. Hopefully, it'll turn out as fabulous as it is on the outline. Haha. I know I should've been studying but I dislike the end of the year; teachers always find a way to squeeze in a last minute test or project. Besides, being a senior and all, you'd think they could care less but alas... Anyways, about this: I thought I was getting a little carried away but I think it turned out alright. And to answer some questions:

First and foremost, thank you so much for those who've reviewed.

**Lahdolphin: **Thank you! Marui and Niou like to bicker like an old married couple. Teehee. Unfortunately, I think happy-happy-joy-joy Marui/Niou will be saved for another time. (: I actually figured out why I wanted to use ' instead of " today. There is a method to my madness.

**Mimi: **Thank you! Marui is not sick...in the medical sense. You know, I'm not really sure myself. Haha. But don't worry, there'll be plenty of drama rama. Their relationship is open for interpretation, really.

**lokica: **Thank you! Marui always needs some lovin'.

The rant was a bit long but I do hope you enjoy.

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Day Two

'Where's Yagyuu?' Someone asked.

Marui shrugged in response.

The gentleman failed to show up to class, again. But, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Many students, especially during this time of the year, fell sick easily. Marui wasn't surprised to find the gentleman still absent; he figured Yagyuu needed some time off from his hectic schedule.

'I could really use some time off…' The red-head sighed under his breath.

He began emptying the contents of his bag. If he was going to have to stay here for more than six hours then might as well get comfortable. Marui felt an arm drape over his shoulder and he groaned when he heard that oh-so familiar voice.

'Hey, Marui-chan…' The trickster purred.

'You sound revoltingly horrendous today.' The bubblegum-lover felt proud of today's remark. He had to put up with this annoyance so might as well get a damn kick out of it.

Marui was about to come up with another witty remark when he saw the familiar glint in Niou's eyes.

'Well, sunshine…' The trickster started, 'At least I don't have to stay after for make-up classes.'

Marui felt the anger boiling within him; suddenly, the duo's conversation was interrupted by a familiar voice.

'Niou…' It was Jackal, Marui's doubles partner, 'I don't think you should tease Bunta that much.'

The red-head felt grateful for the intervention.

'Hmm…' Niou said in a sing-song voice, 'I'm just teasing our Marui-chan. He doesn't take any offense to it...right, Marui-chan?'

The bubble-gum-chewing genius scowled in annoyance and refused to answer the trickster. Instead, he turned to his doubles partner.

'Jackal, what are you doing here?' The red-head asked.

'Oh.', Jackal paused momentarily, 'I was on my way here to congratulate Niou.'

He turned away from his partner and faced the trickster, 'Congratulations on being number ten on the mock exam, Niou.'

He extended his hands and shook with Niou.

Marui was too shell-shocked for words.

'Goddamn it.' The red-head swore under his breath.

A familiar smirk found its way onto Niou's countenance, 'If you ask nicely, Marui-chan, I'll gladly help you.'

The trickster draped his arm over the red-head's shoulder, once again. This time Marui shook it off; the feelings of envy made Marui angry and bitter. He didn't have to deal with this; there were too many things to worry about. It wasn't worth it to bicker endlessly with the trickster.

'By the way,' Marui heard Niou ask, 'what was Marui's ranking?'

Jackal paused.

'I…uh…,' He began nervously, 'have to get back to class. So, see you guys later!'

With that last statement, he ran off. Marui groaned in frustration.

'Marui-chan…' Niou began.

'Just…just shut up.' The red-head cut off the trickster; Marui felt too tired to put up with Niou's remarks and sat down, his arms crossed and his eyes staring at the surface of his desk.

Niou shrugged his shoulders and waltzed over to his own desk, a sly smile on his face.

Today's lessons were also exceptionally boring; Marui felt himself nod off once or twice. During the third time he almost fell asleep, Marui was called up to answer the question. The red-head had chosen a bad time to get caught; he walked up to the board and realized that he could not answer the question that was posed. He sighed in exasperation and furrowed his brows. Today was just not his day.

Marui was about to explain that he had no answer to the question when the bell rang.

'Well, Marui-san...let's try to pay attention next time, shall we?' The biting tone of his Sensei's statement was only shadowed by the rush of students running out the door.

Marui let out a tired sigh. He rubbed his temples in an attempt to get his brain jogging. His day wasn't over yet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the trickster leave the room, a sly smile on his face.

'I'll be at practice, sunshine!' He heard the trickster yell out, 'Have fun at your remedial class!'

Marui watched as Niou's back escaped into the darkness of the corridor.

'Ah, that's right,' his Sensei said, as if remembering something important, 'Your remedial class has been switched to room 1-D. You'll be under Matsuda-sensei's care.'

The red-head disliked the whole premise of remedial classes. Sure, he wasn't a top-notch student but he wasn't dumb. Marui was just bad at retaining information. Nevertheless, the red-head packed his bag and made his way to room 1-D.

The bubble-gum lover trekked slowly down the corridor; his head hung down as he walked with heavy steps. He arrived at room 1-D and slowly slid the door open. As he walked in, he looked about the room. Some students had already arrived but Matsuda-sensei was nowhere to be found. Marui made his way into the room, glancing at each student as he walked to a seat in the back. A girl sat in the front of the room; her face was heavily powdered with makeup and she sat sideways in her seat. In one hand she held a mirror. In the other, she held a small stick of red lip gloss. She puckered her lips while applying the gooey substance. The afternoon sun cast an orange glow on the hooded figure that sat in the corner near the front. His head was leaning against the window and Marui noticed the protruding headphones that covered his ears. In the middle of the room, a student was sleeping on his desk. Drool found its way out of his mouth and he snorted as he slept. A pair of students sat in the back corner: One was also sleeping and his free arm dangled off the side of his desk; the other sat stoically, flipping through the pages of the book he held in his hands. Marui sat down in a seat close to the student sleeping in the middle and awaited the arrival of Matsuda-sensei.

Matsuda-sensei arrived five minutes later with her hair a mess and a mountainous pile of books in her hands. She dropped the pile of books onto her desk and let out a sigh of relief. She gave a glance about the room.

'Well,' she said, 'Let's get started.'

She started to arrange the materials, writing on the blackboard important information the students needed for their classes.

'Could someone please wake Yoshida-san up?' She asked while writing.

Marui realized that Matsuda-sensei was talking about the duo that sat to the left. He saw the stoic student slightly nudge the sleeping one. He awoke, albeit groggily.

'Then, let's begin.' Matsuda-sensei placed her book upon the podium and began the lecture.

Marui was alert for the most part of the remedial class but the rhythmic tapping of Matsuda-sensei's chalk upon the blackboard was tortuous to his ears. The fading sun in the distance was no help; The red-head felt his head bobbing up and down. He glanced to the left and dropped his pen in shock.

'Yagyuu…' He whispered.

There sat Yagyuu staring directly at the bubble-gum lover, a sly smile on his face that was highly uncharacteristic of the gentleman.

'Marui-san,' Matsuda-sensei's voice broke the red-head out of his shock, 'is something the matter?'

He found himself staring at the pair of students- the stoic one raising his eyebrows in confusion.

'Ah, I'm sorry,' Marui bent down to pick up his pen, 'it's nothing.'

'Very well.' Matsuda-sensei turned her back and faced the chalkboard, returning to write with the same rhythmic motion.

At the end of Matsuda-sensei's lecture, Marui leaned back in his chair and let out a big yawn. He still had a few more days left of remedial classes and he wasn't sure if he could last much longer.

'Marui-san…' He looked up to see Matsuda-sensei motioning for him to go towards her desk. Marui realized that the other students had already left. He hurriedly packed his bag and made his way towards Matsuda-sensei's desk.

'Yes, Sensei?' He asked.

'Marui-san, is everything alright?' Her face was full of concern, 'Ichinose-sensei tells me that your grades have been slipping lately. That seems highly uncharacteristic of a student like you.'

Marui grinned embarrassedly, 'Ah…I've just been having trouble concentrating.'

'Is it because of practice?' She asked, 'Ichinose-sensei tells me you've been falling asleep during class too. I hope you're not practicing too hard during tennis. Maybe I can ask them to…'

Her voice trailed off.

'Oh, no.' Marui started, 'it doesn't have to do with practice. I've just been having trouble falling asleep but it's nothing.'

'Alright…if you say so.' The look upon Matsuda-sensei's face told Marui she wasn't convinced.

He gave her a sheepish grin and made his way out the room. He rushed down the dark corridor - his steps being quick and light. As he ran, the strange image of Yagyuu lingered in his mind.


	4. Day Three

A/N: It's memorial day weekend which means I might be able to churn out a chapter or two. Here's the latest chapter! Also, I've been thinking if I should change/add a genre onto The Doppelganger. But we'll see...

Again, thank you for the reviews.

**Lokica:** Thank you! I can promise that things will get a little weird...but interesting, well, I think you have to decide that for yourself. (:

**Lahdolphin: **Thank you! Hopefully, my writing improves with each new chapter. (:

**frejahimitsu: **Thank you! I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

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Day Three

'Yagyuu's still not back?' A voice asked.

Marui replied with an incoherent answer.

Yagyuu still had yet to return.

'It's probably a summer cold.' Someone said.

Summer colds were the worst. To fall ill during the summer seemed ominous but to Marui, it was nothing out of the ordinary. The tennis members practiced a lot during the summer; it wasn't odd for any of them to fall ill, especially due to overexertion and exhaustion.

'He probably just needs more rest.' Someone stated.

Marui nodded in response. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. The red-head had one more day of remedial lessons before he would have to take the supplementary mock exam. He wasn't sure if he would survive through the day. His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

'Hey Marui-chan…'

'Here we go again…' The bubblegum-lover mumbled under his breath.

Niou sat in the desk in front of the red-head and faced Marui. That same glint in his eyes made the red-head uneasy.

'How were your remedial classes, Marui-chan?' He asked.

The red-head ignored his teammate and instead, focused his attention on the board in the front of the room.

'You're ignoring me?' The trickster asked.

Suddenly, their faces were inches apart. Niou had leaned forward and stared directly into the red-head's eyes. His lavender orbs burned an intense gaze into Marui's green ones.

He smiled.

'Just kidding.' He whispered all the while ruffling Marui's red locks.

Niou made his way over to his own seat with a satisfied smile. A scowl found its way onto Marui's face. The bubblegum-lover sunk into his chair, awaiting the arrival of their homeroom teacher.

The bell rang out, signaling the end of the regular school day. As the students filed out of the classroom, Marui solemnly packed his belongings. He swung his bag over one shoulder and made his way out of the room.

Once he was in the corridor, he dragged his feet slowly, making his way to room 1-D. As he walked, the afternoon sun embraced his silhouette and filled the corridor with an orange glow.

He arrived at room 1-D and took a deep sigh. Sliding the door open, he found that once again, Matsuda-sensei was yet to be seen. He went into the room and noticed that the others had already arrived, albeit sitting in different seats.

The duo which included Yoshida-san had moved to the front of the room; the stoic one sat upright, flipping through the pages of that same book and Yoshida-san was sleeping again but this time in a more composed manner. His arms surrounded his face and he slept soundly. The hooded figure had moved to the middle of the room – his same large headphones enclosed his ears. The young man who had fallen asleep yesterday now sat near the windows towards the front of the room. He was wide awake today and gazed longingly at the setting sun. The girl sat in the back corner. She too, looked out the window with an air of melancholy. Today her face was clean and had no trace of make-up. Marui noticed that she was unusually plain without her painted face.

He took his seat behind the hooded figure.

Time passed slowly. Marui twirled his pen between his fingers and tapped his foot in a rhythmic motion. The lesson was nearing its end yet Marui could not focus. He diverted his attention towards the darkening sky outside.

'Alright, that's the end of lesson. Tomorrow's the last day of lessons. Be sure to show up!'

He heard Matsuda-sensei order the students to study hard and prepare well for the supplementary exam. Marui nodded his head. There was only one more day before the lesson; he disliked it but there was nothing he could do. He needed this class to make up for his poor grades but most of all he needed to perform well so that he could go back to playing tennis. That was what he missed the most: playing tennis with the others.

He packed his bag and made his way out of the room somewhat eager, somewhat uneasy.

After leaving the entrance of the school, he maneuvered his way around the narrow streets. He took his regular path home which included a shortcut through the small park. As he made his way home, the mixture of birds chirping in the air and the sound of children's laughter filled his mind. With each step, he took in the sights and the sounds. Marui took a deep breath. He stretched out his arms and let out a sigh of relief.

A murmur whispered through the winds. Marui turned around and dropped his arms in disbelief. His bag fell to the ground.

'Yagyuu…' The red-head whispered.

Marui walked towards the gentleman, who had a smile on his face.

He walked slowly and then, he picked up his pace. Marui almost began to run towards Yagyuu.

'Yagyuu…Yagyuu…Yagyuu!' His voice escalated.

But as he neared his teammate, the gentleman before him began to faze. Marui could not believe the sight. Yagyuu became an image that slowly disappeared with each step the red-head took. The gentleman's smile remained before being carried off by the wind.

Marui blinked his eyes to dispel his confusion.

'Marui-chan!' He saw the resident trickster of Rikkai Dai running towards him. Niou waved to Marui with a smile similar to that of the image the red-head saw earlier. Marui shook his head.

'What's wrong, Marui-chan?' The trickster draped his arm around the bubblegum-lover's shoulder.

'I need more sleep.' The red-head said.

Niou gave Marui a questioning glance but the red-head shook his head.

'So, so…' The trickster started, 'Let's go out to eat, Marui-chan. I haven't seen you in awhile since you've been taking remedial classes.'

Marui scoffed but dismissed his bubbling anger; he was too tired to bicker with the trickster. Marui felt defeated and submitted himself to listen to Niou's ramblings. The duo headed through the narrow path. Thoughts flooded through Marui's head and as the sound of laughter erupted from the duo's conversation, Marui forgot all about that strange hallucination.


	5. Day Four

A/N: Ah. Yes, an update. -crawls from underneath rock- A more light-hearted chapter this time. As per usual, apologies for butchering any favorite characters. Onward we go!

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Day Four

'Yagyuu's got to be pretty damn sick.'

The resident redhead of Rikkai Dai glanced up from the notebook where he had scrawled various doodles in the margins.

His statement went unnoticed by his other classmates - lost no doubt by the calamity of overlapping conversations - save for the teen that sat in front of him. Niou sipped occasionally from the juice he held in his hand but was otherwise in an odd, pensive sort of mood.

Marui raised his eyebrows suspiciously, 'Alright there, Niou?'

He immediately regretted his decision. It was too late; before he knew it, the trademark grin found its way back onto the trickster's countenance.

'Worried about me, Marui-chan?' Niou asked in a playful tone, 'Although I'm flattered by your unconditional devotion to me, shouldn't you be worrying about yourself? I mean, when are you coming back to us, the practice and teammates you so adore?'

The red-head grumbled under his breath, 'I only have two days left.'

He figured he must of said it a bit too forcefully because at that moment, Marui became painfully aware of the gleam in Niou's eyes.

'Marui-chan,' the soft voice Niou adopted made the red-head shudder, 'I know how much you miss the times we spend together but really, you must consider your education my love.'

Niou smiled handsomely at the red-head and blew a kiss before sauntering over to his own desk near the front of the room. Much to his amusement, Marui sat completely still, his face paling with every ticking second. A silence consumed the red-head before he exploded, sputtering every single foul word he knew under his breath. It took every ounce of self-restraint for the red-head to not march over and skin his teammate alive.

Marui was baffled. Truly it was the trickster's life-long aspiration to torment the bubblegum-lover. He noticed the odd stares from the classmates who had overheard their conversation and he sank into his chair, defeated. Red locks fell upon his face and he blew them away in frustration.

The days always seemed so long in the summer. At least, that's what the red-head thought. After Niou's embarrassing statement in the morning, the day passed on like any other. It was long, dreary, and downright boring. And Marui knew that with the remedial lessons after class, there was no way his day could get any worse. Or boring. But as usual, Marui was wrong.

Marui's arm was dangling off the side of his desk and an obviously bored expression graced his features when Niou sauntered over to his teammate's desk once again.

'Marui-chan, what are you doing?' Niou asked, grinning wildly.

The red-head muttered a muffled response into his desk. The following silence made Marui wary of just who he was dealing with. He unpeeled his face from the desk but not quickly enough.

'Oh, Marui-chan…' Niou feigned blushing and whispered in a meek voice barely loud enough for his classmates to hear, 'you know we can't do that…not with your remedial classes…and…oh…'

The trickster's voice trailed off uncomfortably. Niou completed the dramatic act by swiftly leaving the room. Marui sat in his seat, his mouth agape. He buried his head into his arms. To the untrained eye, it would seem that Marui was merely hiding his embarrassment. For several minutes, there maintained an awkward silence that lingered in the air.

Suddenly, the red-head shot up from his desk, grabbed his bag, and bolted down the hallway shouting how lucky Niou was that he had those remedial lessons because if he hadn't, then – 'Niou, I swear!' – the trickster would never live 'til next week.

As bad luck would have it, Marui's day never got better. He walked with the usual slump in his shoulders to his remedial class. He slid the door open with his usual sigh and was perplexed when he saw that the seating arrangement had, once again, changed.

The girl had moved to the front again and the bubblegum-lover realized that she had makeup on once again. But she stared out the window like she did the day before, longing for the end of the day and the arrival of the night. Yoshida-san and his ever stoic friend took two seats in the middle of the room; to Marui's disbelief, Yoshida-san sat wide awake with a pensive mood on his face. His stoic friend flipped through the pages of a worn book, furrowing his brows whenever he came across a particularly interesting albeit complex concept. The hooded figure took the seat in the back corner and Marui couldn't tell but he was sure he saw him staring out the window, too. And finally, Marui realized that the other young man, who completed this mish-mash group of students, sat in the very front of the room, staring dully at the blackboard in front of him.

The whole scene was odd to the red-head. While Marui was never one for being early to class, the red-head always seemed to find that he was the last one arriving to the lesson. And, the red-head realized, it was odd –no, downright strange – how everyone had switched seats. But he shrugged his shoulders and passed it off as something to do with restlessness about the lessons themselves. So he strode into the classroom and took his seat quietly behind the duo that always sat together.

The lesson, it seemed, was like its two predecessors. Marui drummed his fingers impatiently on his desk and watched the ever tic-and-tocks of the clock with the attention he should've been giving to the lesson itself. He drowned out the sounds of his instructor's voice and only managed to catch mere snippets of her lecture.

'- and in order to explain why _x_ functions as it does –'

His mind drifted to the thought of tennis. How were they doing without him? Surely Sanada hadn't implemented any new drills in the red-head's absence? Marui groaned inwardly at the thought of having to catch up to the others because of his poor performances in class.

'- exactly! So when we apply the –'

Marui tried not to think of how hard he'd have to practice in order to even be on par with the others. He knew Sanada wouldn't take lightly to his absences; the red-head just hoped that before his vice-captain could berate him, he'd have a go at Niou. Thinking of Niou brought the red-head back to the subject of Yagyuu. If Sanada was going to kill him for missing practices due to make-up classes, what would he do to the gentleman? The red-head pondered about his teammate: when was the last time he heard from him?

'- and thus, the derivative, as we can see -'

Those thoughts brought Marui to remember the ghostly apparitions of the gentleman. He shook his head feverishly and convinced himself that he was merely seeing things due to Niou's relentless antics and lack of proper sleep.

'– test tomorrow, okay?'

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Matsuda-sensei's voice and the promise of freedom. Marui packed his bag and eagerly made his way out the door when he saw Niou waiting for him.

The red-head thought what better than to ask the perfect source, Yagyuu's best friend Niou?

The trickster slung his arm around the smaller boy's shoulder, 'I hope you're not angry for this morning, Marui-chan.'

Marui had nearly forgotten about his anger with the taller boy and had begun to change his pensive mood into that of an angry one when he decided that it would be best to deal with him later.

'Hey, Niou.' The red-head asked as they walked down the hallway, Niou's arm still slung across his shoulder.

Niou replied with a lazy 'hmm?'

'What's up with Yagyuu?'

The question was innocent enough and Marui did a double-take when Niou suddenly stopped in his tracks, a blank look on his face.

The reply was almost a whisper.

'Who?'

Marui was dumbfounded and suddenly very worried, 'What are you talking about?'

He nearly screamed at the taller boy, 'Yagyuu! Your partner! Our teammate!'

An uncomfortable pause hovered between the two boys before a snicker from the trickster betrayed his prank. He exploded into peals of laughter. Marui quickly grew very red and could almost feel his face steaming with anger.

'You bastard…' He said through clenched teeth.

The taller boy was laughing so hard that he clenched his stomach.

Marui stalked off angrily towards the school entrance. Niou barely had time to catch up to the smaller boy.

'Aww…man. Marui-chan, you gotta…' His speech was interrupted by suppressed snorts, '…the look on your face…I was just kidding, okay? Marui-chan…'

The bubblegum-lover gave his teammate the best death stare he could muster; somehow, Niou found that only more entertaining. While still recovering from bits of laugher, he slung his arm around the smaller boy's shoulder once again.

He motioned wiping a tear off of his face, 'Marui-chan…alright, I'm sorry okay? Let me make it up to you. Let's go out and eat again!'

The red-head stared blankly at his friend and soon enough a sheepish grin crept onto Niou's face.

'You wouldn't mind paying, would you Marui dear?'

The chortles of laughter that escaped the taller boy's mouth as he escaped his teammate's wrath filled the empty silence of the warm afternoon.


	6. Day Five

**A/N: **So. The last time this was updated was more than a year ago... Slightly longer, slightly darker. Enjoy!

* * *

Day five

The red-head wanted to scream, to run. But he was breathless, speechless, frozen in place, bound by the numbing sensation of fear.

He was caught.

His gaze was affixed to tiny, beady black eyes; his breath hitched in the back of his throat, paralyzing him to his seat.

Marui wanted to scream.

It came closer, inch by inch. Its hairy, black body advanced towards the stupefied red-head. The beast did not heed his discomfort, and the bubblegum-lover could only grimace in repulsion.

The fear in Marui's eyes only further amused Niou. He watched with a bemused expression, as his teammate desperately tried to scrunch up in his seat – arms, legs, and all.

'It's a spider, Marui-chan.'

The trickster noted, as he sat in his own desk, comfortably flipping through the newest copy of Shounen Pump. Marui shot a pleading glance to his teammate and muttered an unintelligible remark before drawing his legs even closer to his body.

'What was that?'

The taller teen became amused at the way his teammate's eyes flared in anger and fear.

'You know, Marui-chan,' He began, all the while nonchalantly flipping through the latest manga, 'You should be a little cuter when asking for my help.'

'Niou! _I swear_! You better…' The red-head's half-yell was interrupted by an almost ear-shattering shriek.

'_Niou_!' He roared.

Offset by the uncharacteristically shrieking banshee that was Marui, the silver-haired teen threw his head back in laughter, huffing and puffing while trying to catch his breath.

'Honestly, Marui-chan,' the trickster made his way over to his bewildered and terrified teammate, 'I'm your dashing, shining knight in armor but over a _spider_?'

Marui gaped angrily as he watched Niou raise one foot and squish the insufferable black beast.

'Who's fault do you think this is?' The red-head gingerly extracted his limbs, legs first, from his uncomfortable position. His legs had begun to cramp and he was sweating profusely.

'Marui-chan, if you're talking about that _incident_, then both Kirihara and I have already apologized. We honestly didn't think that you'd be so freaked out by the bugs we put in your - "

Niou stopped mid-sentence when he saw his teammate turn a brilliant shade of red akin to his hair.

The trickster smirked, 'Honestly Marui-chan, it was just some itty-bitty bugs in your-'

This time he was interrupted by a strangled growl escaping the red-head's mouth before said red-head lunged at the silver-haired teen. Niou was caught off-guard, and the two of them fell to the ground in a struggle.

'Marui-senpai, I'm not sure this is how Sanada-fukubuchou wanted you to improve your grades.'

Marui flushed and quickly scrambled off the silver-haired teen.

Niou smirked, 'Just a little team bonding, Kirihara.'

The silver-haired teen's remark earned him a death glare from his red-headed teammate; Kirihara, on the other hand, was doubling over in laughter. A devious smile, however, found its way onto the youngest boy's face. The two more mischievous members of the Rikkai Dai tennis team shared a knowing glee.

'Marui-senpai, do you remember those –'

Before Kirihara could register what was happening, the bubblegum-lover proceeded to shove his younger teammate out of the room, effectively shutting him up about that _incident_. His whole body shook with shudders and he whirled around to face the origin of his stress.

'If you mention a word about _that_ time, Niou, _I swear_!'

Niou knew that it was an empty threat but threw up his hands defensively anyways, if only to appease his teammate's anger.

The red-head was too easy to tease and was arguably one of Niou's favorite bully-able targets.

Marui stomped over to his own desk, now spider free, and sat down with a frustrated huff. There was still going to be a long day ahead of him, regardless of Niou's antics.

As the bell signaled the end of class, Marui dreaded heading over to 1-D. The bubblegum-lover was positive that he was going to fail the make-up test. Frankly, he had learned little more than before he started the lessons and honestly, it wasn't his fault. How was he supposed to learn anything when the lessons were so painfully boring? And the weather. It always made him so sleepy; he wasn't to blame for his poor grades: it was the weather. Marui cursed his luck and wandered out of the classroom.

He walked slowly through the dark corridor and per usual, let out a heavy sigh when he reached the door of 1-D. He wearily slid it open, not surprised to find that he ended up dead last. _Again_.

The redhead was in such a dreary mood that he hadn't even bothered to ponder over the _odd_ ritual his schoolmates had taken to; Marui had become desensitized to the randomized seating arrangement. Today, the only girl – who Marui, for his life, could never remember her name – had occupied the desk in the middle of the room. She twiddled with her hair and chewed absentmindedly on a pencil. Yoshida-san plus one had shuffled over to the two desks near the front corner of the room; his stoic friend once again, deeply absorbed in a new text. Yoshida-san drummed his fingers across his desk and stared at the blackboard with null interest. The other boy, whom had been sleeping on the very first day, had moved to the back corner of the room. He, too, appeared to be preoccupied with nothing. Marui noted a seemingly new figure in the room: a boy with clear hazel eyes sat in the front; effeminate hands ran through fair blond hair. The bubblegum-lover vaguely remembered sharing homeroom with that boy and a quick second glance confirmed Marui's suspicions that the boy was indeed, the hooded figure who was always lost in the world of his massive headphones.

The self-proclaimed genius roamed over to his favorite spot in the back. The soft pitter-patter of rain drew his attention towards the windows. It was a shame that no one else seemed to notice the extraordinary view outside; the summer rain cast an assemblage of colors –blue, violet, pink, orange, and red- that danced across the horizon, enveloping the afternoon in their ethereal glow.

How he wished to be bathed in that shower of light. Marui dejectedly returned his focus to the painfully uninteresting classroom. Matsuda-sensei was currently going over the procedures of the test; he drowned out her voice, having heard the same instructions one too many times. The girl passed back the test to Marui and the red-head glanced down at his paper. The questions didn't seem too difficult; Marui figured that with the amount of attention he's been giving these lessons, he'd pass…barely.

So began the painstakingly long process of guessing and mulling over near impossible questions. Marui would frequent over problems that he swore he never saw in the lessons, or his life for that matter; he'd skip them, go forward to the next set of questions, and then frustratingly back track because those seemed _even_ harder. Thus, during the entire duration of the test, the bubblegum-lover had been forced to continually flip his test back and forth, noisily disrupting his classmates from their task. His shoulders slumped in visible relief when Matsuda-sensei called time, signaling the end of the grueling test.

He passed his test forward and sank in his seat, berating himself for skipping some of the harder questions on the exam. Matsuda-sensei went over some finishing procedures, reminding her students to check in with their respective homeroom teachers to receive their results. She finished with a smile of encouragement and left the room.

Marui didn't bother to change. He ran, bustling out of the classroom, his uniform clinging uncomfortably to his sweaty body in the humid, summer heat. Sanada had, albeit begrudgingly, told the redhead to get to practice as soon as he was done with his mock exam. The bubblegum-lover was glad to be playing tennis again; he needed a breather after all the studying and tests, and from the past few days' strange events.

_I must really miss Yagyuu_, the redhead thought, _especially since I keep seeing him everywhere_.

Earlier this morning, as he was dragging his feet back to class after a long-awaited bathroom break, the bubblegum-lover swore he saw Yagyuu passing by in the corridor below. He hurried to meet the gentleman, but when he turned the corner, Yagyuu had disappeared.

_I bet_, Marui thought, as he jogged his way to the courts, _he's at practice right now_.

When he arrived, practice had already begun. The first- and second-years were working on their drills, many already halfway finished. Several grumbled about the wet courts; the drizzle had ceased but enough rain had fallen to create numerous patches of not-quite puddles. The regulars were scattered throughout the courts, each having their own practice matches. Niou had just finished his own, when he spotted his redhead friend; the trickster waved for him to come over.

'Oi!' He yelled, 'Marui-chan!'

'Niou.' Marui called out, walking over to greet his teammate.

'Done so soon?' The trickster teased, 'We're only about done with practice; _so_ nice of you to join us.'

'Haha,' The redhead replied, 'where's Sanada-fukubuchou?'

'Somewhere.' The silver-haired teen gestured vaguely, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the edge of his shirt.

Rikkai Dai Fuzoku was about to be short one member when Marui spotted Yagyuu walking towards the entrance of the school, chatting away with the boy with fair, blonde hair from the redhead's remedial class. Yagyuu met Marui's eyes and smiled. The redhead sprinted over, nearly dropping his racket but intent on catching up to his friend. He tried to call out to the gentleman.

'Yag—'

'Marui!' Sanada's voice boomed clear across the courts, startling many of the younger members, 'What are you doing?'

The bubblegum-lover turned to face the irate vice-captain, 'I…'

He gestured behind him and turned back around to find Yagyuu, but instead of seeing the gentleman talking to the blonde, it was a completely different person. Marui was dumbfounded.

'Roll up your sleeves and practice!' Sanada barked.

The redhead turned on his heels and ran back to the courts, rolling up his uniform sleeves in the process.

Perhaps it was a combination of the summer heat, the wet courts, and playing an intense match in his uniform, but practice seemed particularly grueling to Marui. Sanada never missed a beat, berating the redhead whenever the opportunity presented itself. Marui was hot, sweaty, and increasingly frustrated; he nearly forgot about Yagyuu.

One well-placed shot ended the match and Marui could not be more thankful. The extended match had a dizzying effect upon the redhead and he loosened his necktie, fanning rapidly at his neck. Niou handed him a towel and Marui thanked him, amidst short, deep breaths.

'Don't overwork it, Marui-chan.'

The trickster seemed genuinely concerned and Marui took back every bad thing he ever said about his friend.

'Who am I going to bully if you're not here?'

Well, _almost_.

Marui bit back a retort, choosing instead to ask Niou if Yagyuu ever showed up for practice. Niou looked at him quizzically, before handing the redhead a bottle of water.

'That's strange.' Marui took a deep gulp of refreshing water, 'Maybe we should go visit him later. You know his address right? I mean, you are doubles partners, after all. And maybe we should bring Sanada. But I think you should ask him; he's kind of…you know...'

The redhead trailed off at the approaching captain and vice-captain. Yukimura had intervened several times, slightly chastising Sanada for being so tough on Marui. The bubblegum-lover could almost kiss Yukimura; the captain was always the only one who could quell Sanada's fury, if only with an unmatchable quiet anger of his own.

'You know…' Niou began, with that same quizzical look upon his handsome features, 'I've been meaning to ask you this…'

Marui shot his teammate his own quizzical look and the rest of the regulars began to gather, at Yukimura's discretion and Sanada's insistence.

'…but who's Yagyuu?'

The redhead was visibly speechless, but his lips turned into an irritated twitch, '…Very funny, Niou. You know...Yagyuu. Your doubles partner?'

It might have been funny, if it weren't for the honest confusion upon his teammate's face. Marui started to get angry; Yagyuu was their _teammate_, their _friend_. And no one had bothered to let him in on the joke. Jackal stared at his doubles partner, deeply concerned. Even Kirihara looked confused.

'Marui…' Yukimura began slowly, 'Niou's partner has always been—'

_Who?_

A pounding had started in his ears – a heavy, pounding drumbeat – the moment Yukimura began to speak and the dizzying breathlessness had returned.

'Senpai, is this Yagyuu person your friend?'

'Bunta, are you okay?'

His teammates had called out to him but he didn't hear them.

'Marui! Hey! Are you okay?'

'Marui-chan!'

'Bunta? Bunta!'

'Someone, get the nurse! Akaya, go! Akaya!'

He thought he felt hands grabbing onto his arm, steadying his weakening stance. He couldn't think – only felt like falling, falling, _falling_. The redhead didn't even realize that he was screaming; he didn't even know what he was saying anymore. All he remembered was the cold suffocating, numbing sensation of darkness.


End file.
